Phrase guide

Bowie knife

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • literary, sometimes: /ˈbuːi naɪf/
  • /ˈboʊ.i naɪf/ also widespread
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A large sheath knife, usually of clip point style and usually with large guards at the ricasso.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: California toothpick, Missouri toothpick

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: knife, weapon, tool

2

noun

Meaning 2

Alternative form of Bowie knife.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a stout hunting knife with a single edge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: knife

History

Etymology

Named after American pioneer and soldier James Bowie (1796–1836) (/ˈbuːi/) who famously used such a knife as a weapon in a duel.